And five more reasons to catch a game this season
Photo via Victoria Royals.
It’s been a long time since Royals fans had a legitimate reason to be excited about their team. Not only have they failed to qualify for the playoffs in two of the past three seasons, but the last time the team won a playoff series was all the way back in 2018-19.
And, although the Royals have rostered some strong players over the last several seasons, the last time they had a true Western Hockey League (WHL) star was Matthew Phillips in 2017-18, when he scored 112 points in 71 games.
This season, however, Royals fans have the opportunity to watch legitimate NHL prospects on a team poised for a playoff run.
Here are five reasons to be excited about this year’s version of the team — and why you should get down to Save On Foods Arena to see for yourself:
They are (actually) winning games this season
The Royals have won 12 of 16 games in 2025 and are four points up on the Prince George Cougars for first place in the B.C. Division. Winning the division would ensure second place in the Western Conference, and a potentially easier first round matchup in the playoffs.
High-end NHL prospects
No Victoria Royal has ever been drafted in the first two rounds of the NHL draft. That should change this June. Cole Reschny is currently ranked twenty-second on Elite Prospect’s consolidated list of the top 2025 NHL draft prospects. Last season, Reschny scored at a rate of 0.97 points per game, the best of any 2007-born player in the WHL. This season, the 17-year-old centre from Macklin, Saskatchewan, has scored 67 points in only 46 games — good for third place in points-per-game rates among all draft eligible WHL–ers.
While some scouts thought Reschny’s offensive numbers might pop-off even more than they have this season, it’s his defensive awareness, hockey intelligence, and ability to contribute to all facets of the game that make him a solid NHL prospect. Plus, he’s starting to heat up at the right time, with 14 points in his last five games.
Keaton Verhoeff is the most exciting NHL prospect the Royals have ever had — full stop. At just 16 years old, 6’4” Verhoeff is the league’s highest scoring 2008-born player — as a defenceman, no less. To put his season into perspective, he’s on pace to have the best points-per-game rate of any 16-year-old defenceman since Hockey Hall of Famer Scott Niedermayer in 1989-90. TSN’s director of scouting Craig Button called him a potential “top pairing NHL defenceman” in a recent video, comparing his style of game to Florida Panther defenceman Aaron Ekblad. Verhoeff is a sure-fire first-rounder for the 2026 NHL draft.
The defensive core
Along with Verhoeff, the Royals’ top two defense pairings are arguably the best in team history. Six foot three team captain Justin Kipkie was drafted in the fifth round of the 2023 NHL Draft by the Arizona Coyotes (now the Utah Hockey Club). His 120 points in 184 career games with the Royals is the second highest points-per-game rate of any defenseman to play over 100 games with the team.
The Royals’ top four is rounded out by 6’4” defenseman Nate Misskey, a 2024 San Jose Sharks fifth-round draft pick and legitimate NHL prospect in his own right, and twenty-year-old Cosmo Wilson, who delivers steady shutdown minutes for the Royals on a nightly basis.
Trade deadline additions
Realizing his team was a legitimate Western Conference contender this season, General Manager Jake Heisinger rewarded his players by acquiring some reinforcements at the trade deadline. On New Year’s Day, the Royals traded several assets in order to land Kenta Isogai, a player from the Wenatchee Wild. The 20-year-old forward from Nagano, Japan, moved to Russia with his family when he was 11 to pursue hockey. Eventually, he relocated to North America, where he played three seasons in the United States Junior Hockey League before coming to the WHL. Isogai exploded onto the scene in his first year with the Wild last season, scoring 88 points in 64 games.
The day after acquiring Isogai, the Royals traded for Brandon Lisowsky. Another veteran, 20-year-old forward Lisowsky is a 2022 Toronto Maple Leafs seventh-round draft pick with over 150 career WHL goals. In other words, he’s a pure sniper. Since his trade from Saskatoon, Lisowsky has 12 goals in 15 games with the Royals. His 34 goals on the season rank tied for third league-wide.
Must-see regular season games before playoffs
With only nine home games remaining before the playoffs, here are my top three matchups (in no particular order) to watch live at Save On Foods Arena before the regular season ends:
Monday, Feb. 17 vs Everett Silvertips.
Reason: Landon Dupont. Currently the top prospect for the 2027 NHL draft, Silvertips defenceman Dupont is on track to set the all-time single season points record for a 15-year-old player in the WHL as a defenceman. This game is also a heat-check for the Royals, as the Silvertips are currently first place in the league.
Friday, Feb. 21 & Saturday, Feb. 22 vs Prince George Cougars.
Reason: This two-game set might decide which team finishes first in the B.C. Division, and who earns that coveted easier first-round playoff matchup. Plus, the Cougars and Royals are beginning to develop a pretty heated rivalry, meaning this should be a super entertaining weekend of games.
Friday, March 7 & Saturday, March 8 vs Spokane Chiefs
Reason: Offence — goals, and lots of them. In the ten games since Washington Capitals prospect Andrew Cristall was traded from Kelowna to Spokane, he’s put up an absurd 29 points. Alongside Seattle Kraken first-round 2024 NHL draft Berkly Catton, the two players give Spokane one of the most potent offensive lines in the league. It’ll be interesting to see how well the Royals can match up against them.
